Everybody Benefits from Singles Day! [Interview]

Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren't the only shopping holidays coming up this month. The recently identified "Singles Day", taking place on 11/11 (highlighting the number one), has become widely recognized since news that Alibaba made more $9 billion in revenue last year on that day alone.

With Singles Day just a week away, we caught up with Beth Baratte, Director of Sales & Merchandise Partners at Dealmoon.com, to discuss the significance of this newer shopping holiday.

CJ: What is Singles Day?

Beth: It's the biggest online shopping holiday that many U.S. shoppers actually don't know about! Singles Day (AKA the anti-Valentine's Day) originated as a Chinese pop culture holiday, held on November 11th for people who were living the single life. It has become the annual e-commerce blowout sale, putting Black Friday and Cyber Monday to shame.

Introduced to China in 1990s as a way to celebrate singlehood, it was later reintroduced as a day to treat yourself to some retail therapy. Currently, it is not so much about being single, it is more about shopping and buying. Last year, Dealmoon highlighted this holiday globally—to not only focus on the Chinese shopper, but the U.S. shopper as well. They posted 100+ exclusives and best-of-web deals to help attract more American consumers to this special shopping day.

CJ: What are your expectations for Singles Day 2015?

Beth: This year, we expect to see more than 50 percent growth on Singles Day. We start promoting offers on 11/05 and through 11/15 to reach all shoppers—early birds as well as residual shoppers. The strongest days are the 10th and the 11th. We only promote "quality" offers—no excuses.

CJ: What advertisers are most successful during this time?

Beth: Last year, beauty and fashion categories performed very well. We had some clients that sold over $1M alone on Singles Day! Honestly, the success of the campaign is based on the quality of the offer provided. We welcome strong offers in all categories.

CJ: What can advertisers do to be most successful with Singles Day offers?

Beth: Providing the best offers possible makes all the difference. Singles Day is a great opportunity to test Black Friday offers early. This new shopping holiday has become the catalyst for holiday shopping, with advertisers seeing huge growth in November prior to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Advertisers can experience an entire month of amazing sales!

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In addition to the above tips, we suggest you also add "Singles Day" as a keyword for the links you are promoting. If you have any other questions about how to be successful this holiday shopping season, feel free to reach out to your Account Manager or leave us a comment below!